subject: The Growth Of The Online Pet Supplies Sector [print this page] Whilst there will undoubtedly always be a place for the traditional high street retail store, the internet has opened up a world of possibilities in terms of what we buy, where we buy it from and what price we pay.
In the past, the only option aside from buying from a retail outlet with a traditional shop front, was to order from a mail-order company via a catalogue or printed advertisement. All of that has now changed, with the internet enabling any business to list its entire product range for the world to view, via a website.
This inevitably affected the buying habits of the general public. All manner of products are now bought online, from books to cars, holidays to the weekly grocery shop. Specialist online retailers in particular, have enjoyed a period of explosive growth. One example is the pet supplies industry, a sector worth an estimated 21 billion per annum worldwide.
Are pet supplies worth buying online?
The period of sustained growth of online sales in the pet supplies industry, would suggest that growing numbers of people are choosing to purchase items for their pets via the internet, rather than visit a traditional bricks-and-mortar retail store.
The primary drivers for buying in this manner are improvements in choice, convenience and value. As the internet is capable of delivering all three in abundance, it is no surprise that customers are increasingly buying their pet supplies online.
Choice, has increased beyond all comprehension with the growth of the internet. Whereas previously choice was restricted to local retailers and large mail-order operations, now customers have the option to buy from absolutely anywhere they wish, locally, nationally and internationally.
Buying online is also more convenient in many ways. Aside from the fact that there is no longer a requirement to travel to a retailer to make a purchase, online shopping is not restricted to any particular opening hours. Purchases can be made at any time of the day or night, and even on public holidays such as Christmas Day and Easter Sunday.
Value has always been an important factor when making purchasing decisions, long before internet usage became commonplace. The boom of mass price comparison however, is the sole responsibility of the internet, and has undoubtedly helped to bring prices down.
The internet makes it easy to quickly compare prices offered by different retailers, for a particular product. A quick search for the product using a popular search engine, will reveal a range of websites on which prices are displayed. The customer can then select which retailer they wish to purchase from.
by: Jack Authors
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